Magazine taking and returning device, control method and system thereof, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a material box taking and returning device, a control method and system thereof, and a storage medium. The calibration plate comprises the following steps: controlling the material box taking and returning device to move to the height of a target storage location; identifying a rack image through a detection device, wherein the rack image comprises an image of an upper crossbeam adjacent to the target storage location; determining a first relative height between the upper crossbeam and the detection device based on the rack image; and controlling the material box taking and returning device to take and return a material box at the target storage location based on the first relative height. The application is directed to a material box taking and returning device with a detection device installed above a tray. The height difference between N+1 layers and the upper surface of the tray is directly identified by the detection device, the height difference between N layers and the upper surface of the tray is reversely calculated, and then the material box is accurately taken and returned. In this process, the tray is very close to the N layer crossbeam, and only the height of the tray needs to be adjusted slightly during the process of taking and returning the material box at the N layer crossbeam, so that the efficiency of taking and returning the material box is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of logistics and warehousing technology, specifically relating to a bin retrieval and return device, its control method, system, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, position reference objects (such as QR codes) are usually attached to the beams of the shelves, and the bin robot determines the position of the bin by detecting the position of the reference objects through a detection device.

[0003] Due to the limited field of view of the detection device, it needs to be adjusted to be near the reference object before it can identify it. In some bin robots, the detection device is installed at a position directly above the pallet. For these robots, the detection device is aligned with the shelf below the bin to be picked up to identify the reference object. After identification, the pallet needs to be raised to a position below the shelf below the bin before the bin can be retrieved.

[0004] However, after identifying the reference object through the detection device and then raising it to retrieve and return the material box, the pallet height adjustment range is large, resulting in very low efficiency in retrieving and returning the box. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application proposes a bin retrieval and return device, its control method, system, and storage medium. The device controls the retrieval and return of bins by identifying the first relative height between the upper crossbeam and the detection device, thereby reducing the height of the pallet adjustment and improving the efficiency of bin retrieval and return.

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a control method for a hopper retrieval and return device, including:

[0007] The control bin retrieval and return device is moved to the height of the target storage location;

[0008] The shelf image is identified by a detection device, the shelf image including an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location;

[0009] Based on the shelf image, determine the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device;

[0010] Based on the first relative height, the bin retrieval and return device is controlled to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location.

[0011] A second aspect of this application provides a control system for a hopper retrieval and return device, comprising:

[0012] The control movement module is used to control the material box retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location;

[0013] An image recognition module is used to identify shelf images via a detection device, the shelf images including images of the upper beams adjacent to the target storage location;

[0014] A determining module is used to determine a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device based on the shelf image;

[0015] The control module is used to control the bin retrieval device to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location based on the first relative height.

[0016] A third aspect of this application provides a bin retrieval and return device, including a detection device, a tray, and a controller;

[0017] The detection device is mounted above the tray and is communicatively connected to the controller;

[0018] The detection device is used to identify the shelf image and transmit the shelf image to the controller;

[0019] The controller is used to control the bin retrieval device to move to the height of the target storage location, the shelf image includes an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location; based on the shelf image, a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is determined; based on the first relative height, the bin retrieval device is controlled to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location.

[0020] A fourth aspect of this application provides an electronic device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the method described in the first aspect of this application.

[0021] A fifth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the program being executed by a processor to implement the method described in the first aspect of this application.

[0022] The technical solutions provided in this application embodiment have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0023] In this embodiment, for a bin retrieval device with the detection device installed above the pallet, a method is proposed where, when retrieving N-layer bins, the detection device directly identifies the N+1-layer crossbeam. Based on the first relative height between the N+1-layer crossbeam and the detection device, and the interlayer spacing of the crossbeams, a third relative height between the upper surface of the N-layer crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet is calculated. Based on this third relative height, bins can be accurately retrieved from the target storage location. Since the detection device identifies the N+1-layer crossbeam and is installed above the pallet, the pallet is very close to the N-layer crossbeam. Therefore, controlling the pallet during bin retrieval from the N-layer crossbeam only requires fine-tuning the pallet's height, improving the efficiency of bin retrieval.

[0024] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings.

[0026] In the attached diagram:

[0027] Figure 1 A control schematic diagram of a hopper retrieval and return device in the related art is shown;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a bin retrieval and return device according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the control of a bin retrieval and return device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 4 This invention provides another schematic flowchart of a control method for a bin retrieval and return device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 5 This illustration shows a flowchart of the process for retrieving and returning material boxes to the top beam of a shelf, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 6 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the control system of a hopper retrieval and return device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the mechanical structure of the pallet, rotary drive assembly, and fork clamping mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0034] Figure 8 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a storage medium provided in one embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Exemplary embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of this application and to fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art.

[0037] It should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0038] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes the bin retrieval and return device, its control method, system, and storage medium according to embodiments of this application.

[0039] Currently, in the logistics and warehousing field, storage boxes are typically stored using shelves, which are storage racks composed of multiple layers of beams. Each shelf includes multiple storage locations, and each location can be used to place one storage box. Storage box retrieval devices (such as storage box robots) are typically used to place boxes into or remove them from the storage locations on the shelves.

[0040] In some related technologies, the bin retrieval and return device includes a pallet and a detection device, with the detection device mounted above the pallet. Position references (such as QR codes) are affixed to the crossbeams of the shelving unit. The detection device detects the position of the references to determine the bin's location. In these technologies, the detection device aligns with the crossbeam below the bin to identify the position reference. After identification, the pallet needs to be raised to a position below the crossbeam below the bin before the bin can be retrieved or returned. Figure 1 As shown. However, after identifying the reference object through the detection device and then raising it to retrieve the material box, the pallet height adjustment range is large, resulting in very low efficiency in retrieving and returning the box.

[0041] Based on this, this application proposes a control method for a bin retrieval and return device. This method utilizes a detection device to identify a shelf image containing an upper beam adjacent to the target storage location. Image processing is performed on the shelf image to determine a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device. Then, based on the first relative height, a third relative height is calculated between the upper surface of the lower beam adjacent to the target storage location and the upper surface of the pallet. Based on this third relative height, the bin placed at the target storage location on the lower beam is either removed or placed on the lower beam. Since the detection device is located above the pallet and is aimed at the upper beam above the target storage location, the pallet is relatively close to the lower beam in this scenario. Therefore, after calculating the third relative height between the upper surface of the lower beam and the upper surface of the pallet, only minor adjustments to the pallet height are needed to perform the bin retrieval and return operation, significantly reducing the pallet height adjustment and improving the efficiency of bin retrieval and return.

[0042] See Figure 2 The control method provided in this application specifically includes the following steps:

[0043] Step 101: Control the material box retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location.

[0044] When a bin needs to be retrieved or returned to a target storage location, the system determines the height of the target storage location and assigns that height to the bin robot. Based on this height, the bin robot drives the bin retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location.

[0045] Step 102: Identify the shelf image using a detection device, the shelf image including an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location.

[0046] The aforementioned detection devices may include depth cameras, 3D cameras, spherical panoramic cameras, etc. After the bin retrieval device moves to the target storage location, because the detection device is installed above the pallet, its field of view easily covers the adjacent upper beam above the target storage location. The detection device captures an image of the shelf to identify whether the upper beam exists in the image. If not, the height of the bin retrieval device is adjusted to bring the upper beam into the detection device's field of view. At this point, another image of the shelf is captured to ensure that the image includes the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location.

[0047] Step 103: Based on the shelf image, determine the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device.

[0048] After obtaining the shelf image through step 102, the shelf image is processed to determine the first relative height between the adjacent upper beam above the target storage location and the detection device.

[0049] First, image processing is performed on the shelf image to locate each pixel belonging to the upper beam. Based on the coordinates of each pixel of the upper beam, the pixel coordinates of the upper beam are identified in the shelf image.

[0050] This application embodiment establishes an image coordinate system in the shelf image. This image coordinate system can have the top-left vertex of the shelf image as the origin, the horizontal side containing the top-left vertex as the x-axis, and the vertical side containing the top-left vertex as the y-axis. Alternatively, this image coordinate system can be established using other vertices of the shelf image as the origin. This application embodiment does not limit the specific construction method of this coordinate system.

[0051] After establishing an image coordinate system in the shelf image, from each pixel of the identified upper beam, the pixel closest to the target storage location is determined, and the coordinates of the closest pixel are used as the pixel coordinates of the upper beam. In other words, the coordinates of the pixels on the lower surface of the upper beam are used as the pixel coordinates of the upper beam.

[0052] In other embodiments, a QR code for identifying the position of the upper beam can be affixed to the upper beam. After establishing an image coordinate system in the shelf image, the pixel coordinates of the QR code are determined from the shelf image and used as the pixel coordinates of the upper beam.

[0053] The detection device employs a depth camera, a 3D camera, or a spherical panoramic camera capable of acquiring depth or distance information. Therefore, during the process of acquiring an image of the shelf containing the upper beam, the actual distance between the upper beam and the detection device can be directly obtained. The device's attribute parameters, including its focal length, are then acquired. Based on the actual distance, the device's attribute parameters, and the pixel coordinates of the upper beam, the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is calculated.

[0054] Specifically, first determine the coordinates of the center point of the shelf image, and calculate the absolute value of the difference between the vertical coordinate of the upper beam's pixel coordinates and the vertical coordinate of the center point. Calculate the product of this absolute value and the actual distance mentioned above, and then calculate the ratio between this product and the focal length of the detection device. This ratio is the actual vertical height between the upper beam and the detection device, i.e., the first relative height mentioned above.

[0055] Based on image processing technology, the relative height between the lower surface of the upper beam and the detection device can be accurately calculated according to the image of the shelf and the attribute parameters of the detection device. The calculation process is simple and efficient.

[0056] Step 104: Based on the first relative height, control the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location.

[0057] In this embodiment, the bin retrieval device pre-configures a second relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the pallet of the bin retrieval device, as well as the layer spacing between adjacent upper and lower crossbeams on the shelf. The pre-configured second relative height and the layer spacing between adjacent upper and lower crossbeams are retrieved from the memory of the bin retrieval device.

[0058] Based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the layer spacing, calculate the third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray.

[0059] Specifically, the fourth relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is obtained by summing the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device and the second relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the tray. Since the first relative height is the relative height between the upper beam and the detection device, and the second relative height is the relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the tray, the sum of the two is the relative height between the upper beam and the upper surface of the tray.

[0060] Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the fourth relative height and the interlayer spacing between the adjacent upper and lower crossbeams. The fourth relative height is the relative height between the upper crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray. Subtract the interlayer spacing between the adjacent upper and lower crossbeams from this relative height to obtain the third relative height between the upper surface of the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray.

[0061] Using the above method, when retrieving and returning boxes from the lower crossbeam, there's no need to use a detection device to photograph and identify the lower crossbeam. Instead, the detection device directly captures an image of the shelf including the upper crossbeam, identifying the first relative height between the upper crossbeam and the detection device. A simple calculation then yields the third relative height between the upper surface of the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet. This method offers high accuracy and efficiency in locating the lower crossbeam. Based on this third relative height, the target storage location can be accurately pinpointed, allowing for precise retrieval and return of boxes from that location. Furthermore, since the detection device photographs the upper crossbeam and is installed above the pallet, the pallet is very close to the lower crossbeam in this application scenario. Therefore, controlling the pallet's retrieval and return of boxes from the lower crossbeam only requires minor adjustments to the pallet's height, further improving efficiency.

[0062] In practical applications, when retrieving and returning material boxes, the pallet of the material box retrieval and return device needs to maintain a certain height with the upper surface of the lower crossbeam. However, the calculated relative height between the upper surface of the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet may not match this certain height, so the height of the pallet needs to be fine-tuned.

[0063] In this embodiment, a certain height is pre-configured in the bin retrieval device, referred to as the preset relative height. That is, the preset relative height is the relative height between the upper surface of the pallet and the bin when the bin retrieval device retrieves or returns the bin. The height of the pallet is adjusted according to the preset relative height and the aforementioned third relative height.

[0064] Based on the preset relative height and the third relative height, the adjustment direction and adjustment height of the tray are determined. The tray is then controlled to move along the adjustment direction to adjust the height. Specifically, the third relative height is compared with the preset relative height. If the third relative height is greater than the preset relative height, the adjustment direction is determined to be downward, and the adjustment height is the difference between the third relative height and the preset relative height. The tray is then controlled to move downward by the difference. If the third relative height is less than the preset relative height, the adjustment direction is determined to be upward, and the adjustment height is the difference between the third relative height and the preset relative height. The tray is then controlled to move upward by the difference. If the third relative height is equal to the preset relative height, the tray height is not adjusted.

[0065] For example, the preset relative height can be 8mm. If the calculated third relative height is 16mm, then the control tray will move downward by 8mm.

[0066] After calculating the third relative height using the above method, only minor adjustments to the pallet height are needed to perform the box retrieval and return operation, which greatly shortens the pallet adjustment height and improves the efficiency of box retrieval and return.

[0067] In this embodiment of the application, when the target storage location is on the top beam of the shelf, there is no beam above the top beam. In order to accurately locate the location, this embodiment of the application provides two positioning schemes.

[0068] The first approach involves setting a pre-defined reference object above the top beam. This reference object can be a barcode or QR code, etc. The vertical distance between the pre-defined reference object and the top beam can be the shelf spacing or other distances. If other distances are used, the distance between the pre-defined reference object and the top beam needs to be pre-set in the bin retrieval and return device.

[0069] In a scenario where a preset reference object is set above the top beam, the detection device is controlled to photograph the preset reference object above the target storage location, obtaining an image containing the preset reference object. Based on the image containing the preset reference object, the fifth relative height between the preset reference object and the detection device is determined. The specific determination process is the same as in step 103 and will not be repeated here. Then, based on the fifth relative height, the hopper retrieval and return device is controlled to retrieve and return the hopper at the target storage location. The specific process is the same as in step 104 and will not be repeated here.

[0070] By setting a preset reference point above the top beam and identifying the fifth relative height, the relative height between the top beam and the upper surface of the pallet can be accurately and quickly calculated. Based on this relative height, the target storage location can be accurately located, allowing for precise retrieval and return of material boxes at that location. Furthermore, because the detection device captures the preset reference point and is installed above the pallet, the pallet is very close to the top beam. Therefore, controlling the pallet's retrieval and return of material boxes on the top beam only requires minor adjustments to the pallet's height, improving the efficiency of material box retrieval and return.

[0071] The second approach uses an identification scheme from related technologies. A detection device is used to photograph the top beam to identify its height and position. Then, based on the height and position of the top beam, the pallet is raised to retrieve the material box.

[0072] To facilitate understanding of the control method provided in the embodiments of this application, the following description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figure 3 As shown, for the target storage location on beam N, Figure 3 The example used is retrieving a tote box from a target storage location. A detection device located above the pallet photographs beam N+1, identifying the first relative height between beam N+1 and the detection device. This is then used to calculate the third relative height between beam N+1 and the upper surface of the pallet. Based on this calculated third relative height, the pallet is controlled to remove the tote box. Figure 3 As can be seen from the data, the pallet is very close to the crossbeam N throughout the process. Therefore, after calculating the height of the crossbeam N, only minor adjustments to the pallet are needed to perform the box retrieval operation.

[0073] Figure 4 The diagram shows a flowchart of the control method provided in the embodiment of this application. First, the pallet is raised to the height of the Nth layer of crossbeams. The detection device identifies the N+1th layer of crossbeams, calculates the precise height difference between the upper surface of the Nth layer of crossbeams and the upper surface of the pallet, makes a fine adjustment to the height, and retrieves and returns the material box.

[0074] Figure 5 The flowchart illustrates one method for handling the top-level beam. First, it determines whether the topmost storage bin on the shelf needs to be returned. If so, the detection device identifies the top-level beam, the pallet rises one beam height, and the storage bin is returned. If the topmost storage bin is not being returned, the detection device identifies the N+1 layer beam, calculates the height difference between the upper surface of the Nth layer beam and the upper surface of the pallet, fine-tunes the pallet height, and then returns the storage bin.

[0075] In this embodiment, for a bin retrieval device with the detection device installed above the pallet, a method is proposed where, when retrieving N-layer bins, the detection device directly identifies the N+1-layer crossbeam. Based on the first relative height between the N+1-layer crossbeam and the detection device, and the interlayer spacing of the crossbeams, a third relative height between the upper surface of the N-layer crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet is calculated. Based on this third relative height, bins can be accurately retrieved from the target storage location. Since the detection device photographs the N+1-layer crossbeam and is installed above the pallet, the pallet is very close to the N-layer crossbeam. Therefore, controlling the pallet during bin retrieval from the N-layer crossbeam only requires fine-tuning the pallet's height, improving the efficiency of bin retrieval.

[0076] This application also provides a control system for a hopper retrieval and return device, used to execute the control method provided in any of the above embodiments. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the system includes:

[0077] The control movement module 201 is used to control the material box retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location;

[0078] Image recognition module 202 is used to recognize shelf images through a detection device, the shelf images including images of upper beams adjacent to the target storage location;

[0079] The determination module 203 is used to determine the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device based on the shelf image;

[0080] The control retrieval module 204 is used to control the bin retrieval device to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location based on a first relative height.

[0081] The determination module 203 is used to identify the pixel coordinates of the upper beam in the shelf image; and to calculate the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device based on the attribute parameters of the detection device and the pixel coordinates of the upper beam.

[0082] The control retrieval module 204 is used to obtain the second relative height between the detection device and the pallet upper surface of the bin retrieval device; obtain the layer spacing between the upper and lower crossbeams adjacent to the target storage location; calculate the third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the pallet upper surface based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the layer spacing; and control the bin retrieval device to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location based on the third relative height.

[0083] The control module 203 is used to calculate the sum of the first relative height and the second relative height to obtain the fourth relative height between the upper beam and the upper surface of the pallet; and to calculate the difference between the fourth relative height and the interlayer spacing to obtain the third relative height between the lower beam and the upper surface of the pallet.

[0084] The control module 203 is also used to obtain the preset relative height between the upper surface of the pallet and the upper surface of the lower crossbeam when the material box retrieval device retrieves and returns the material box; and to adjust the height of the pallet according to the preset relative height and the third relative height.

[0085] The height adjustment module is used to determine the adjustment direction and height of the pallet based on the preset relative height and the third relative height; and to control the pallet to move along the adjustment direction to adjust the height.

[0086] The system also includes: a top beam processing module, which, if the target storage location is on the top beam of the shelf, controls the detection device to take a picture of a preset reference object above the target storage location to obtain an image containing the preset reference object; based on the image containing the preset reference object, determines the fifth relative height between the preset reference object and the detection device; and based on the fifth relative height, controls the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve the bin at the target storage location on the top beam.

[0087] The control system of the bin retrieval device provided in the above embodiments of this application and the control method of the bin retrieval device provided in the embodiments of this application are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the methods adopted, run or implemented by the application programs stored therein.

[0088] This application also provides a bin retrieval and return device, including a detection device, a tray, and a controller;

[0089] The detection device is mounted on top of the tray and is connected to the controller.

[0090] A detection device is used to identify images of the shelves and transmit those images to the controller;

[0091] The controller is used to control the material box retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location. The shelf image includes an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location. Based on the shelf image, a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is determined. Based on the first relative height, the material box retrieval and return device is controlled to retrieve and return the material box at the target storage location.

[0092] The hopper retrieval and return device also includes a lifting mechanism;

[0093] The lifting mechanism is connected to both the controller and the tray.

[0094] The controller is used to determine the adjustment direction and adjustment height of the pallet based on the preset relative height and the first relative height; and to control the lifting mechanism to move the pallet along the adjustment direction to adjust the height; wherein, the preset relative height is the relative height between the upper surface of the pallet and the upper surface of the lower crossbeam when the hopper retrieval and return device retrieves and returns the hopper.

[0095] The bin retrieval and return device also includes: a rotary drive assembly and a fork clamping mechanism;

[0096] The rotary drive assembly is connected to the controller, the lifting mechanism, and the fork-holding mechanism respectively, and the rotary drive assembly is located at the end of the fork-holding mechanism away from the pallet; the rotary drive assembly is used to drive the fork-holding mechanism to rotate around the vertical axis;

[0097] The controller is used to control the rotary drive assembly to drive the fork-holding mechanism to retrieve and return the material box at the target storage location after the pallet height is adjusted.

[0098] Specifically, the forklift mechanism is used to move boxes from the rack beams to the pallets, or to move boxes from the pallets to the rack beams for storage. The forklift mechanism is connected to the lifting mechanism via a rotary drive assembly, which drives the forklift mechanism to rotate relative to the lifting mechanism to facilitate the retrieval and return of boxes. It is important to emphasize that the rotary drive assembly is located at the end of the forklift mechanism furthest from the pallet, placing it above the forklift mechanism. This avoids the rotary drive assembly occupying the space below the forklift mechanism, reducing the unused space under the pallet during box retrieval and further lowering the operating height of the box retrieval device, saving space below the first layer of the rack, and improving the utilization rate of the rack and warehouse.

[0099] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the mechanical structure of the pallet, the rotary drive assembly, and the fork clamping mechanism is shown. The rotary drive assembly is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in Figure 32, the fork-holding mechanism is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in Figures 33 and 34. Figure 7 The number 31 indicates a pallet.

[0100] The bin retrieval device provided in the above embodiments of this application and the control method of the bin retrieval device provided in the embodiments of this application are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the methods adopted, run or implemented by the application programs stored therein.

[0101] This application also provides an electronic device for executing the control method of the above-described bin retrieval and return device. Please refer to... Figure 8 This illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device 3 includes: a processor 300, a memory 301, a bus 302, and a communication interface 303. The processor 300, the communication interface 303, and the memory 301 are connected through the bus 302. The memory 301 stores a computer program that can run on the processor 300. When the processor 300 runs the computer program, it executes the control method of the bin retrieval and return device provided in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application.

[0102] The memory 301 may include high-speed random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Communication between this device network element and at least one other network element is achieved through at least one communication interface 303 (which can be wired or wireless), such as the Internet, wide area network, local area network, or metropolitan area network.

[0103] Bus 302 can be an ISA bus, PCI bus, or EISA bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. The memory 301 is used to store programs. After receiving an execution instruction, the processor 300 executes the program. The control method of the hopper retrieval and return device disclosed in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application can be applied to the processor 300, or implemented by the processor 300.

[0104] The processor 300 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of the processor 300 or by instructions in software form. The processor 300 may be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in memory 301. The processor 300 reads the information in memory 301 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0105] The electronic device provided in this application embodiment and the control method of the bin retrieval and return device provided in this application embodiment are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the methods they adopt, operate or implement.

[0106] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium corresponding to the control method of the hopper retrieval and return device provided in the foregoing embodiments. Please refer to... Figure 9 The computer-readable storage medium shown is an optical disc 30, on which a computer program (i.e., a program product) is stored. When the computer program is run by a processor, it executes the control method of the bin retrieval and return device provided in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0107] It should be noted that examples of the computer-readable storage medium may also include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other optical and magnetic storage media, which will not be elaborated here.

[0108] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the above embodiments of this application and the control method of the bin retrieval and return device provided in the embodiments of this application are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the methods adopted, run or implemented by the application programs stored therein.

[0109] It should be noted that:

[0110] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0111] Similarly, it should be understood that, for the sake of brevity and to aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the above description of exemplary embodiments of this application, various features of this application are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosure should not be construed as reflecting a schematic diagram in which the claimed application requires more features than expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the following claims, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of this application.

[0112] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and form different embodiments. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0113] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a material bin retrieval and return device, characterized in that, include: The control bin retrieval and return device is moved to the height of the target storage location; The detection device identifies a shelf image, which includes an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location; the detection device is mounted above the pallet. Based on the shelf image, determine the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device; Based on the first relative height, controlling the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return a bin at the target storage location includes: acquiring a second relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the pallet of the bin retrieval and return device; acquiring the layer spacing between the upper and lower crossbeams adjacent to the target storage location; calculating a third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the layer spacing; and controlling the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return a bin at the target storage location based on the third relative height.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device based on the shelf image includes: Identify the pixel coordinates of the upper beam in the shelf image; The actual distance between the upper beam and the detection device is identified by the detection device. Based on the actual distance, the attribute parameters of the detection device, and the pixel coordinates of the upper beam, the first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is calculated.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calculation of the third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the layer spacing includes: Calculate the sum of the first relative height and the second relative height to obtain the fourth relative height between the upper crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray; Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the fourth relative height and the interlayer spacing to obtain the third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the tray.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return the bin at the target storage location based on the third relative height includes: The preset relative height between the upper surface of the pallet and the upper surface of the lower crossbeam is obtained when the material box retrieval and return device retrieves and returns the material box; The height of the tray is adjusted according to the preset relative height and the third relative height.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the height of the tray according to the preset relative height and the third relative height includes: The adjustment direction and adjustment height of the tray are determined based on the preset relative height and the third relative height. Control the tray to move the adjusted height along the adjusted direction.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the target storage location is on the top beam of the shelf, the detection device is controlled to take a picture of the preset reference object above the target storage location to obtain an image containing the preset reference object. Based on the image including the preset reference object, a fifth relative height between the preset reference object and the detection device is determined; Based on the fifth relative height, the material box retrieval and return device is controlled to retrieve and return the material box at the target storage location on the top crossbeam.

7. A control system for a hopper retrieval and return device, characterized in that, include: The control movement module is used to control the material box retrieval and return device to move to the height of the target storage location; An image recognition module is used to recognize shelf images via a detection device, the shelf images including images of the upper beams adjacent to the target storage location; the detection device is installed above the pallet; A determining module is used to determine a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device based on the shelf image; A control module for retrieving and returning a bin is configured to control the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return a bin at a target storage location based on a first relative height. This includes: acquiring a second relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the pallet of the bin retrieval and return device; acquiring the interlayer spacing between adjacent upper and lower crossbeams at the target storage location; calculating a third relative height between the lower crossbeam and the upper surface of the pallet based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the interlayer spacing; and controlling the bin retrieval and return device to retrieve and return a bin at the target storage location based on the third relative height.

8. A material bin retrieval and return device, characterized in that, Includes detection device, tray, and controller; The detection device is mounted above the tray and is communicatively connected to the controller; The detection device is used to identify the shelf image and transmit the shelf image to the controller; The controller is used to control the material box retrieval device to move to the height of the target storage location. The shelf image includes an image of the upper beam adjacent to the target storage location. Based on the shelf image, a first relative height between the upper beam and the detection device is determined. Based on the first relative height, the material box retrieval device is controlled to retrieve the material box at the target storage location, including: obtaining a second relative height between the detection device and the upper surface of the pallet of the material box retrieval device; obtaining the layer spacing between the upper and lower beams adjacent to the target storage location; calculating a third relative height between the lower beam and the upper surface of the pallet based on the first relative height, the second relative height, and the layer spacing; and controlling the material box retrieval device to retrieve the material box at the target storage location based on the third relative height.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The hopper retrieval and return device also includes a lifting mechanism; The lifting mechanism is connected to the controller and the tray respectively; The controller is used to determine the adjustment direction and adjustment height of the tray based on the preset relative height and the first relative height; and to control the lifting mechanism to move the tray along the adjustment direction by the adjustment height. The preset relative height is the relative height between the upper surface of the pallet and the upper surface of the lower crossbeam when the material box retrieval and return device retrieves and returns the material box.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The bin retrieval and return device further includes: a rotary drive assembly and a fork clamping mechanism; The rotary drive assembly is connected to the controller, the lifting mechanism and the fork-holding mechanism respectively, and the rotary drive assembly is located at the end of the fork-holding mechanism away from the pallet; the rotary drive assembly is used to drive the fork-holding mechanism to rotate around a vertical axis; The controller is used to control the rotary drive assembly to drive the fork-holding mechanism to retrieve and return the material box at the target storage location after adjusting the height of the pallet.

11. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, The processor executes the computer program to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, The program is executed by a processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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